Tennis · Level 10: Professional · Sub-level 10.5
The Women's Game and the Numbers
4 tests · 40 facts · updated 13 October 2026 · markdown
How the women's tour was built and where it stands today: the Original 9, equal pay at the biggest events, the records of the women's game, and how many people play tennis worldwide.
Each test below is ten questions on Insporta. The list under a test is what the questions check: one fact per question, with the source it was written from. Read it before the test, or come back from a wrong answer.
Test 1Building the women's tourTake a test
They became known as the Original 9.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
Billie Jean King and Rosie Casals were among them.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
The Virginia Slims Circuit grew into the modern WTA Tour.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
At the 1970 Pacific Southwest Open the men's champion was offered $12,500 and the women's $1,500, with the women's whole purse about 15% of the men's; that gap drove the Original 9 to Houston.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
King led the players who formed the WTA in 1973.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
It closed the Virginia Slims Circuit's season.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
It returned to best of three sets in 1999.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
1970, 1972 and 1973.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
1972, 2014-2018, 2019 and 2023.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
The men's rankings began in 1973 (A) and the women's in 1975 (B).
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · applied
Test 2Equal pay todayTake a test
Combined WTA 1000 and 500 events were to reach equal pay by 2027.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
Single-week events had a longer path than the combined ones.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing had already got there.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
Indian Wells and Miami are examples.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
The programme also offers grants for fertility treatment.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
It is part of the WTA's Family Focus programme.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
Rome, Canada and Cincinnati were the last three to close the gap.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
2007, 2023, 2027 and 2033.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
2000, 1500, 1000, 500 and 125.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
The plan was set out in 2023, with combined events by 2027 and single-week events by 2033.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · applied
Test 3Records of the women's gameTake a test
Graf also finished a record eight years at No. 1.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
The Open Era record; Margaret Court's 24 includes titles from before 1968.
Source: ATP and WTA record books, Grand Slam records · recall
Margaret Court's 11 is the record across all eras.
Source: ATP and WTA record books, Grand Slam records · recall
Her eleven Australian titles are part of her overall 24.
Source: ATP and WTA record books, Grand Slam records · recall
She was the first No. 1 when the rankings began in 1975.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
Hingis won three of the four majors that year.
Source: ATP and WTA record books, Grand Slam records · recall
377, 332, 319 and 260.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
167, 157 and 107.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · recall
Graf's 377 weeks is the record; Navratilova has 332, Serena Williams 319 and Evert 260.
Source: WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements · applied
Test 4Tennis in numbersTake a test
The ITF's third Global Tennis Report counted just under 106 million players.
Source: ITF Global Tennis Report 2024 · recall
Asia had about 35 million players, a third of the total.
Source: ITF Global Tennis Report 2024 · recall
About 23.8 million Americans play tennis.
Source: ITF Global Tennis Report 2024 · recall
The report counted 698,034 courts.
Source: ITF Global Tennis Report 2024 · recall
From 84.4 million to about 106 million, a rise of 25.6%.
Source: ITF Global Tennis Report 2024 · recall
The report counted more than 175,000 coaches worldwide.
Source: ITF Global Tennis Report 2024 · recall
About 35.3, 29.6 and 28.8 million.
Source: ITF Global Tennis Report 2024 · recall
About 106 million players, 698,000 courts and 175,000 coaches.
Source: ITF Global Tennis Report 2024 · recall
A third of the world's players are in Asia.
Source: ITF Global Tennis Report 2024 · applied
Sources
The Grand Slam tournaments, ATP, WTA, ITF (Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, Global Tennis Report 2024), Laver Cup and IOC. Original questions authored, nothing reproduced.
- WTA: tour structure, rankings history and announcements26
- ITF Global Tennis Report 202410
- ATP and WTA record books, Grand Slam records4